Issue - meetings

Matthew Cole, Director of Public Health, LBBD, presented the report which provided the overarching dashboard and performance on specific indicators for Quarter 3.  Matthew drew the Board’s attention to a number of issues that had improved or required improvement, the details of which were set out in the report.

The Board discussed a number of issues, including:

·  The validation of the Referral-to-treatment (RTT) figures, which were still not completed and the action being taken to address the backlog of treatment numbers.  Dr Ali, provided insight into the history behind this issue, the current performance rates, prioritisation of the backlog by need and the aim was to get the service back on an even keel by next financial year.  The Board noted that a report on this issue would be brought to the next meeting.

·  The significant fall in Breast Screening rates, especially as the Borough was the second worst nationally for Breast Cancer survival rates.  The Chair and Francis Carroll, Healthwatch, both raised concern about people from Dagenham not accessing the Breast Screening centres at Harold Wood and King George Hospital due to their location and transport connections.

·  The non-elective admissions rate and action being taken to address this.

·  BHRUT’s progress and when it hoped to be out of special measures. Noted that a report would be brought to the Board in due course

·  The improving achievement rate for surgeries returning information on Learning Disability Health Checks.

·  Passport for learning disabilities clients / patients.

·  CQC had given King Edwards Centre a ‘Good’ rating.

·  The number of children and young people accessing CAMHS tiers 3 and 4 was not R.A.G. rated as there was no national target for this indicator.  Consideration was being given to whether a local target should be applied for such services and what it should look like.

·  The wait between assessment and treatment for young people with mental health issues.  NELFT advised that patients undergo triage assessment and initial treatment would be put into place whilst they were waiting for particular intervention / specialist treatments.

·  Healthwatch commented that the ‘Handyperson Project’ was beginning to reduce the number of falls that were occurring.

The Board:

(i)  Noted the overarching dashboard;

(ii)  Noted the detail provided on specific indicators, and remedial actions being taken to sustain good performance;

(iii)  Noted the concerns raised in regard to the public transport accessibility issues from the Dagenham area to the Breast Screening Services in Harold Wood and King George Hospital; and

(iv)  Noted that work was continuing on validating the data in regard to both the hospital referral-to-treatment (RTT) and the non admitted backlog targets and requested BHRUT to report to a future meeting in order that the Board could have assurance that the data accuracy problems had been fully resolved and that an action plan is in place to ensure the backlog is being dealt with so that patients are not waiting too long for treatment.